Monday, July 22, 2013

EdcampHome - an awespiring event!

On Saturday, the first EdcampHome was conducted. In my opinion, it was PD on speed, or sPeeD, as I am calling it! Although I was only able to participate for a half hour live, the amazing potential struck a chord with me.

How can you look at the screenshots above and not be in total awe and not get inspired! Sounds like another perfect made up word: Awe + inspired = awespired. I was awespired by the organizers, the moderators, and by every single person from all around the globe who participated. It was an amazing event and one that I was glad to witness!

I've really only been on Twitter for three months and everyday I continually am awespired. First, by the power of Twitter, then the power of Hashtags, next the insane list of Twitter Chats, the amount of Google Hangouts that the people I follow participate in, the amazing Podcasts available, the face to face conferences that the people I follow attend, the google docs that are being shared, and finally the amazing EdcampHOME that was conducted on Saturday. (I'm sure I could go on and on or others could add to this amazing list!) One must wonder if there is an end in sight? With technology and with the amazing minds using technology, the answer is a clear resounding: NO! Not only is there no end in sight, but the future looks extremely bright!

A few weeks ago I tweeted out a semi-serious, semi-joking question: Do other professions have organized chats like we do? For example: Do dentists have #flosschat on Mondays from 8-9p.m. or #cavitytalk on Thursdays from 7-8pm? After witnessing the amazing potential of EdcampHOME, I'm actually serious: Is education the only profession with such an organized system of communication and COLLABORATION?

Just today, David Theriault (@davidtedu), one of the EdcampHome organizers, tweeted out some very interesting questions about Twitter Chats. You can read the google doc here. The following are just two of the questions he posed: 'Are twitter chats a fad?' and 'What will be the death of the twitter chat?' It's a very interesting read and of course you can leave your comments.

I would love to see some research on the demographic of Twitter users whose main purpose is for professional collaboration. The collaboration that is occurring every day (much less every hour or minute) online is awspiring, and I feel blessed to be surrounded by such awspiring people who are along this ride together. 99.9% of the educators are RESPECTFUL, APPRECIATIVE and WILLING TO SHARE. It's a wonderful fraternity in which to be apart and I'm glad I joined.

I'm someone that when I stumble upon greatness, I want to share it with others! I only saw about thirty minutes live but it was greatness in the making. It was genius really - a Genius (Half) Hour! In such a short time I think all of us who witnessed EdcampHome were able to see the potential it held. Lisa Butler (@Srtalisa) has even suggested ParentCampHome - Oh the ideas are already snowballing! Each video in each session is about 30 minutes, so if you have time, take in some of the genius that was EdcampHome and keep the genius flowing!

This post really can be linked to my previous two posts entitled: I'm Glad I'm a Follower and Stuck on an Escalator. EdcampHome reiterated why I'm glad I'm a follower of so many awespiring educators on Twitter, and I hope EdcampHome will help anyone who is 'stuck on an escalator' find a staircase to climb!

Lesson #20: The future is literally in your hands to mold as we like. But we cannot wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow is now. -Eleanor RooseveltLesson #21: The best way to predict the future is to invent it. - Alan Kay

I'm looking forward to what the future of Twitter and EdcampHome holds, not just for the educators who plan to participate, but mostly for the incredible impact that it will have for our students.

What do you think about this subject? Leave a comment below or contact me on Twitter (@KressClass)

Thanks for reading,
Arin

**A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to the four EdcampHome organizers - David Theriault (@davidtedu), Karl Lindgren-Striecher (@LS_Karl), Kelly Kermode (@coachk) and Shawn White (swpax) Your hard work will continue to pay off in the lives of countless students from around the world. Kudos to you!

2 comments:

Arin, you've got all the videos here?! WOW! Nice job! One more thing I noticed - My class Twitter account it @KirrClass - great minds think alike. ;-) I love all the thoughts in this one place. One think I can't wrap my head around, however, is "Twitter chats... That was so 2013!" But I have a feeling you're on to something...

About Me

I'm a 5th grade math and science teacher in Ohio who is constantly learning. My goal is to bring as many experiences to my students as possible. I enjoy connecting with others from all around the world to learn from each other! I hate chalk but love educational technology :) Feel free to contact me on Twitter (@ArinKress)